Four Lady Dogs named All-America by WBJ

Posted: Wednesday, March 07, 2001

By From staff reports

Four members of the Georgia Lady Bulldogs were included in various All-America teams announced by The Women's Basketball Journal released on Tuesday. The teams were chosen by the editors and contributors to The Women's Basketball Journal, a leading monthly magazine about women's hoops.

Kelly Miller was named to the publication's five-player first-team All-America unit, while Coco Miller was tabbed fourth-team All-America. In addition, Christi Thomas was chosen first-team Freshman All-America, and Tawana McDonald was included on the second-team Defensive All-America squad.

"I never told anyone we didn't have talented player," Andy Landers said. "These honors not only say a great deal about these players, but about everyone on our basketball team. Coco, Kelly, Tawana and Christi should take pride in this recognition, as should their teammates."

Kelly Miller is a three-time first-team All-America and two-time SEC Player of the Year. This season, she has averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Miller's biggest basket of the year was her last one -- a jumper with 0.8 seconds left in the SEC Tournament Championship game last Sunday which lifted Georgia to a 62-60 win over No. 10 Vanderbilt.

Coco Miller was one of only three unanimous choices (along with Kelly Miller) to the 10-player All-SEC first-team chosen by league coaches. Coco leads Georgia in scoring this season at 15.9 points per game and also ranks among SEC leaders in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and steals.

Thomas, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Year last week, has averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds a game this season. She is the only freshman included among the SEC's top-20 individual leaders in both points and rebound.

McDonald has been one of the nation's premier players in the paint this season. She has rejected 96 shots in 31 games played this season. That mark already surpasses her own single-season Lady Bulldog blocked shots record of 90 rejections in 35 games played a year ago. McDonald has led the nation in blocks all season and is averaging more swats than six SEC teams are as a whole during the 2000-01 campaign.

Georgia, now 26-5 on the season, clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with its SEC Tournament title. The Lady Bulldogs will learn their seeding for the NCAA Tournament Sunday.

This article published in the Athens Daily News on Wednesday, March 7, 2001.